BEGINNER ESSENTIAL
Agent harness
Runtime machinery coordinating model calls, tools, context, and control.
An everyday example
The office procedures and equipment around an assistant.
A harness coordinates the loop: a model suggests actions, tools execute, and results are checked. Skills provide procedures; MCP can connect tools. Neither is the model.
Where this term is useful
These are related contexts, not prerequisites.
Back in the project
When it comes up: When extending or authorizing AI task execution.
What to do next: Identify the task, tools, permissions, and checks; grant only necessary access.
Open the related method and stepsWhat can this analogy leave out?
A skill is not a model, and MCP is not a plugin store; connectivity is not unlimited authorization.
Everyday examples explain roles and relationships; actual behavior follows the tool, language, or platform.